Associated Press - November 20, 2009 6:25 AM ET

BOYS TOWN, Neb. (AP) - Over the past 20 years, Boys Town's crisis hot line has offered advice to more than 8 million callers.

The hot line was set up in 1989 in response to a growing number of children and families in trouble.

The Boys Town National Hotline is at 1-800-448-3000. It's toll free, and crisis counselors can assist callers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Boys Town says the hot line helped 175,000 children and parents in 2008 alone.

The Nebraska home for troubled youth was immortalized in the Oscar-winning 1938 movie "Boys Town" that featured Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.

On the Net:

Boys Town: http://www.boystown.org

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